Congresswoman Susan Davis On Military Cuts, Navy Broadway Project

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Congresswoman Susan Davis talks to KPBS about military cuts and the Navy Broadway Complex.

"It basically is a 'may' to the Navy, it's not a 'you have to,' or 'you should,' but it's 'you may seek an alternative, an option, to move the headquarters onto a base, onto a site where the Navy is today,'" she said.

She said one option is to move the headquarters to the Navy base on 32nd Street.

Davis said the reason for her proposal is to move the Navy Broadway Complex project forward.

"The thought that the Navy would have to stay in that building that was developed in about 1927 and has had a number of changes to it is really disturbing," she said. "It's not serving them well, it's definitely not serving the city well, and the opportunity to build a more modern facility, one that perhaps even consolidates some needs that the Navy has, would make a lot of sense."

Davis also spoke about the potential military cuts under "sequestration," a 10 percent across–the-board cut that would start in January and would include up to $500 billion in additional cuts to defense spending over 10 years. The cuts were triggered by Congress’ inability to reach consensus on how to reduce the federal deficit.

"It's a looming problem, it's not just sequestration, there are a lot of problems that are coming together by the end of the year," Davis said. "Tremendous challenges for the country."

Davis said San Diego's position on the Pacific Rim means "we won't see problems" from budget cuts. However, if sequestration goes into effect, she said defense contractors could lose significant business, which would then impact the local economy.

Davis, who represents the newly-redrawn 53rd District, captured almost 58 percent of the vote in last week's primary. She will run against Republican Nick Popaditch again in November and told KPBS she would participate in an on-air forum with Popaditch before that election.